Larry Dobrow is the latest to play the stereotype-card and make a lame Rays attendance “joke.” Keep in mind, this is a piece on utility players that are having a good season. What does that have to do with Rays attendance? We have no idea. But here is the note on Ben Zobrist, who ranks as the second-best “utility scrub”* (thanks Andy).

He’s the rare guy on this list who plays two positions well. Factor in the bat and the Zorilla nickname, and you’ve got a fan favorite. Well, you would if the Rays had any fans.

Get it? It’s because the Rays don’t draw 4 million fans a year!

Our question for Larry Dobrow is: If the Rays don’t have any fans, then how many fans do the Reds, A’s and Blue Jays have? Those three teams have winnings records and average fewer fans per games than the Rays. But hey, making a joke about Rays attendance is easy when a baseball writer is lazy.

Hey Larry, research is a writer’s friend. Try it some time.

*Apparently, playing 56 of your team’s 59 games with 43 of those at one position now qualifies one as a “utility scrub.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

4 Comments

You know, it might be a good idea to come up with a standard definition of a fan. Does a person have to go to the game to be a fan? If so, does that mean that fans can only live within a 150 mile radius of the team? And how often will someone that lives 150 miles away actually go to a game? Whenever the Rays are on the road, the tv crew spotlights people wearing Rays gear at the game. Do they not count as fans? What about fans that buy season tickets and then don't go? Are they fans because they contribute money to the team, but don't bother to show up? (probably not the case much with the Rays, but obvious with some other teams)

While we're at it, can we come up with a standard definition of a baseball writer?

1) The Rays would make more money by selling the seats then selling the tickets, but then there would be nowhere to sit for when no one shows up.

2) Two Rays fans found themselves on the street one day, and were so surprised that that when they looked around they found that they were actually IN Tropicana Field!!

3) When a national convention of baseball fans convened, Yankees and Red Sox fans easily took up the large atrium in the hall. The White Sox and Rangers fans filled up the smaller atrium. To their surprise Rays fan weren't that difficult to seat, they easily filled the sub-power station janitors closet beneath the hall, a few of them even cooked!

5) It's nice to see the Rays develop such a nice and successful ball club. If they use the same principles on their fan base they should be ready for the big show in about 10 season.

In all seriousness though, The Rays are too young of a team to have developed the serious enough fan base to compete on the level with the Yankees and the Red Sox. If you give them 20 more seasons they'll begin competing in attendance. Plus with a down market, the media expects too much of the Rays to fill the Trop, soon though.